


He Never Gives Up

by Introverted_Cupcake_x



Category: Bully (Video Games)
Genre: Boxing-related injuries, Hospital, M/M, No Rick Astley jokes allowed, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-15 02:35:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14782043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Introverted_Cupcake_x/pseuds/Introverted_Cupcake_x
Summary: Vance comes to observe Gord's first serious boxing match against Bullworth Boxing Champion Bif, and learns the hard way how Gord takes not giving up so literally.





	He Never Gives Up

**Author's Note:**

> A quick oneshot to get my creative juices flowing.

Vance should’ve been used to disapproving glances by now. He encounters those kind of ugly expressions on a daily basis. In the streets, from his own father, from teachers, even other girls. All because of his association with New Coventry and his standing as a greaser. But he doesn’t give a shit, he’s proud of his group and wouldn’t betray them for the world or any number of Infinity Stones.

Except today, the disapproval and disgust in the prep’s faces irked him as he stood outside the ring, readying himself to watch a boxing match in the Glass Jaw Boxing Club where Gord and Bif are having their first serious fight that isn’t practice. Vance let out a low whistle as he briefly glanced at Gord’s butt while he climbed into the ring.

“Go get ‘em, tiger!” he cheers with a wink and Gord sent him a smirk.

“Will do, greaseball,” he jokes and inhaled deeply as he watches Bif climb onto the ring, much to the celebratory cheers of the other preps.

Bif cracked his shoulder, stretching with a grunt. “Don’t think ill of me for this, Gord, but I got a reputation to uphold.”

“No offence taken,” Gord says, “may the best man win.”

Vance almost jumps when Parker suddenly appeared by his side, whispering without taking his eyes off the pair in the ring, saying; “You do know that Gord literally won’t give up?”

“Yeah, course I do!” he responded, rolling his eyes, “he’s a great boxer. I never see him give up.”

“Exactly,” Parker murmurs, “he absolutely will not give up. He’s never fought Bif in a serious match before, so we better get 999 on standby.” Vance frowned and looked at him.

“What? Come on!” he snorts, “it’s not that bad. It’s not like Gord’s gonna kill himself fighting a simple match.” He stops. “Is it?” Parker looked at him with a grim expression before the bell rung and the match started.

Everyone began cheering as the two move towards each other, starting with shielding their faces before their eye contact intensified. With the large shape of the room inside this building, every punch, yell and shriek echoed twice from Gord’s quiet footwork and Bif’s power-packed punches. A few times Vance felt himself wince involuntarily even though he isn’t at the end of someone’s fist, but seeing Gord’s bloody nose and beats of sweat and blood flying with every punch flipped his stomach. His grip grew even tenser on the edge of the ring until his knuckles practically whitened.

Gord was slowing down. In spite of Bif’s fatigue catching up from keeping up with Gord’s evasive dance, he still kept going even when he started breathing more deeply and he had enough sweat running down his face to fill buckets.

“Time to give up, Gordy!” Bif taunts. It was at that moment Vance looked at Gord’s face to see an indiscernible, dark expression cross his smile, seemingly devoid of any pleasure for the current situation.

Vance quickly glanced at Parker, but he was kneeling down covering his ears. The redhead stared at him in shock before turning to the ring just in time to see Bif land a heavy punch on Gord’s face and sent him flying, sprawling on the ground like a ragdoll.

Raucous cheers filled the building as Chad hit the brass bell. Gord shuddered and forced himself upright, wobbling and seeing double-Vances dropping by his side and talking in panic.

“Gord! Can you get up?” he asks. The prep nodded, but squeezed his eyes tightly at a pounding headache.

“Yeah, yeah,” he spat, irritated as he drags himself to the corner. “Not a KO. No 10-second countdown before the bell hit.”

Vance held the side of his face, seeing the most ugly bruises blooming on his jaw and just beside his left eye, with a purple swelling almost forcing his eye shut. Blood was running from his nostrils. Cursing, the greaser took a look behind him to see Bif still looking as fresh as a daisy, only holding an ice pack to his jaw while chattering with his group of friends.

“I’m gonna kick his ass!” Vance growls but Gord shoved his hand away with a grunt. Panic spiked his veins. “C’mon, throw in the towel! If you keep going, you’ll be completely out for the count!”

“That’s the point of boxing, numbnuts!” the prep groaned.

“10 seconds!” Chad cried out, looking at his watch, “contestants, be ready!”

Gord heaved himself to his feet and weakly pushed Vance away.

“Wait for me…” he hissed, suddenly letting out a small yelp and held his chest.

“Gord?!”

“Goddamn Bif hit me above the belt…” he rasps. “Get out the ring, Vance.”

“5 seconds!”

The other preps watched Vance and Gord in mild amusement until the bell rung and Gord’s face completely changed as he suddenly seized Vance around his waist and threw him over the fencing of the ring, landing him on the spare table and smashing it in half. He spun in time to block a jab to the abdomen and tossed an uppercut, briefly shocking the Bifcake.

Stunned, Vance leapt to his feet and watched as Gord unleashed a barrage of rapid jabs at as many exposed spaces on Bif as possible. It’s like a fire ignited within him.

Parker hesitantly approached him, observing Gord’s change in pace.

“He’s hit it,” he murmured, “he’s gone berserker.”

“You what?” Vance gaped, not tearing his gaze away from his boyfriend.

“Y’know - crazy. He wouldn’t have gone berserk this early on in a match, but because you were in the ring… guy gets anxious if anyone who isn’t his target are in the way.”

“Shit.” Vance held onto the side of the ring, staring as Gord managed to lay a full punch on Bif’s blocking arm and stunning him. “So he might actually win this?”

“Uhm… To be honest… he’s only won like a small percent of his matches,” the prep sighs, “I lost to him, Bryce lost to him. Nobody except Jimmy has beaten Bif. If he wins this, it’ll be a miracle.”

The closer the fighting pair drew to where Vance and Parker are, the more obvious the quick shallow breathing from Gord became. He’s breathing like a drowning man.

“Parker!” Vance snaps, “I think Bif broke Gord’s rib!”

“You what?”

Vance put his hand on his own chest, mimicking Gord’s gesture from earlier. “Can’t you hear his breathin’? It’ll be an accident but if he broke a rib he’ll be screwed!”

Truly worried, Parker listened through the layers of grunts and flying fists and sure enough he can hear labourious gasping - no longer breathing - from Gord, whose face is practically covered in bruises like a violet flowerbed.

“Fuck,” he gasps before pushing past Vance and running to Chad, having a hasty work with him and pointing at Gord. Chad argued with him, but then Vance felt his heart drop as Gord slowed to a halt and fell over.

In a shocked daze, Biff dropped to his knees to carefully roll him over, seeing some of his blood dripping from his nose and staining the mat. Gord’s completely out for the count.

“Okay, boys, ambulance time,” Derby suddenly laughs while Parker threw up in a nearby bin. “You know the number, Chad.”

Chad uttered obscenities to himself while dialling and Vance carefully lifted Gord’s head to rest on his lap, wiping as much blood off his face as possible. Thank god he’s not wearing Aquaberry or he’ll have a stroke…

“Well, Vance, thanks for being the personal cheerleader, but we can take it from here,” Derby sniffs, standing above them. “Gord has disappointed us yet again. He may be an excellent boxer, but he not quite in the top rankings with the rest of us.”

“I’ll stay,” Vance murmurs as politely as possible, refraining from saying something that’ll get him forcibly removed

An ambulance soon arrives to take Gord away, and upon seeing him a worker rolled their eyes.

“That kid really needs to stop fighting so much.”

“Fuck you too…” Gord whispers and Vance’s lips stretched into a big smile.

“See you later, pal.”

...

Leaning against the wall near the hospital entrance, Vance exhaled after taking a drag from his cigarette, looking at the automatic doors expectantly. Gord DID say that they’ll discharge him today…

A kiss pressed against his cheek and he blinks, turning to see Gord with a cheeky grin and the redhead gently held his neck to pull him close for a proper kiss.

“Where’d you come from, beautiful?” he teases.

“Blame my parents,” Gord snickered and embraced him, leaning his crutch against the wall and putting all his weight on his boyfriend. His skin prickled as Vance’s breath brushed over his neck.

“How was it?”

“Sucks. Father called and scolded me for using up the insurance on another fight and said he’ll stop my allowance for a fortnight!”

“Oh well, at least you’re not poor,” Vance says lightly, ruffling his hair and he almost screams.

“Leave the hair, plebian!”

“Or what will you do?” Vance jokes, “because I came to bring ya back to school.”

“I’ll-- throw firecrackers at your hair!”

“Fuck!” the redhead gasps and backed up, “not the hair!”

Gord sniffs. “You care more about that hair than you do for me.”

Vance paused, staring at him before stepping close to hand him his crutch.

“Why didn’t you stop the fight?”

“I never give up,” he murmurs, downcast, “it’s what my father always taught me.”

“Yeah, but…” his boyfriend trails off, “it’s not right. Bif is a hard fighter, yeah, but you already gave it your all.”

“I haven’t!” Gord spluttered, “I’ll fight even if it kills me!”

He was shaking all over. Vance noticed this, feeling disheartened and stepped beside him.

“Need help?”

“No.”

“Then…” Vance pecked his cheek, speaking in a whisper. “Come to my room for a bit so we can chill.”

...

Their trek back to the dorm was slow, but steady, until they made it to Vance’s room and Gord carefully flopped over the bed with a heavy sigh, letting the crutch clatter against the floor.

“I’m just gonna sleep the year away…” the prep grumbles, only moving to allow Vance to lie next to him, tugging him close to kiss his forehead.

“How’s your leg?” he asks curiously, “why did you need a crutch?”

“I sprained my knee without realising it,” Gord sighs in a disappointment. “Adrenaline, and all that.”

“You still fought like a beast,” Vance comments and his hand sought out Gord’s warm one, lacing their fingers together. He could feel his pulse quicken as blood rushed through his bruises on his face. Most of the swelling went down, but he still looks considerably like a mess. He carefully raises his hand to his lips, kissing his darkened knuckles. “My champion.”

The prep’s breath hitched as he glanced away.

“I… did give it my all.”

“And that…” The bed shifted as Vance leaned over Gord with a smile. “...Is why you’re an excellent boxer.”

Thinking of nothing to say, the prep mirrored his expression and held his shirt collar to tug him down and pressed their lips together, quite roughly, but Vance kissed back with fervour and held him close, careful about his chest…

“How’s the rib?” he rasps against his lips.

“Fine…?” Gord frowns. “I pulled a muscle in my chest, it’s why I couldn’t breathe.”

“Ow…”

“Mmhm. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”

Vance dipped to peck his neck and heard the prep’s breath flutter.

“Too bad I gotta wait until you’re better,” he says lightly, with a teasing tone, “because I wouldn’t want to bend you so much while you’re in pain.”

“Oh my god, Vance,” Gord groaned and covered his face with his hands, “you’re a real slut.”

He opened his eyes as Vance moved them into a more comfortable position in the bed, nestling the prep to curl up against him. Gord almost purred when Vance’s rough hand carded through his hair, smoothing it out.

“Only for you, babe,” he hears him sigh, “‘cause I’ll never give up on you.”

Vance knows a few things or two about working hard, with his mom being an example while her poor excuse of a husband stayed home drinking beer until he’s singing the ABCs in the wrong order. Working hard gets you a clean home, working diligently gets you high grades, working exhaustively gets you a stronger body and working tirelessly gets you respect. Work, work, work, it never ends no matter where you go.

But Gord is the pinnacle of not giving up, even when it hospitalises him. As much as he inspires Vance, he really needs to learn how to take breaks and that resting doesn’t equate losing.

The prep’s eyes searched for his gaze, feeling his heart skip a beat.

“I won’t give up on you either.”


End file.
